The One Who Laughs Last Laughs the Loudest
by Healer Pomfrey
Summary: The Marauders fall ill with the wizard's measles and decide to try to get the Slytherins sick. However, the one who laughs last laughs the loudest. Completely AU, SS/LE sick!Marauders, sick!Severus, sick!Lily
1. Chapter 1

**The One Who Laughs Last Laughs the Loudest  
**

"Thank you, James. It was a beautiful day," Lily said softly as she gently pried her hand out of James' large hand, before they entered the castle.

"Thank you, Lily, for finally agreeing to go on a date with me," James replied and slowly turned to the stairs.

"Are you not going to have dinner?" Lily enquired as she stepped to the door leading to the Great Hall.

"No, I'm not hungry, and I'm going to meet with my friends in the common room," James replied, hoping his friends were waiting in the common room. In fact, he hadn't been feeling overly well the whole day, but since it was the first time Lily had finally agreed to accompany him to Hogwarts, he had efficiently put up a healthy face, hiding from the girl that his head and throat were very sore. Now however, he dragged himself into the Gryffindor common room, where his friends were huddled on the sofa in front of the fireplace, obviously waiting for him.

"Hi," James said, letting himself fall on an empty seat. '_Finally, I can sit down and rest. I won't go anywhere else tonight_,' he mused, feeling absolutely miserable. '_I just hope I won't get ill right now a week before the holidays_.'

"James, are you feeling all right?" Remus asked in concern. "Sirius seems to be ill, and if you ask me you don't look any better."

"I feel awful," James admitted truthfully, shivering violently when Remus laid the back of his hand on his forehead.

"James, you're burning up. We're going to take you and Sirius to Madam Pomfrey this instant," Remus said sternly, gently helping James up from his seat.

The four Marauders slowly walked through the empty halls, and James was glad that the whole school seemed to be assembled in the Great Hall as he was leaning heavily onto Remus' arm by the time they reached the entrance hall.

Madam Pomfrey came out of her office as soon as she heard the hospital wing's door close behind the boys. She quickly cast diagnostic spells at James and Sirius, and their friends observed worriedly as her expression became stern.

"You have the wizard's measles," she informed them. "Please accompany me. I have to put you in a quarantine room. Mr. Lupin and Mr. Pettigrew, I'm sorry, but I'll need you to remain in quarantine as well." She led the four boys into a room behind her office, which was an exact copy of the hospital wing's main room, and put James and Sirius to bed, before she turned to Remus and Peter. "Please make yourself comfortable on a bed as well, so I can check on you."

The boys complied, and two minutes later, Pomfrey informed them, "You're already running a temperature, and I'm sure by tomorrow morning you'll feel outright ill." She fetched a few potions from her office, which she made the boys drink.

"Uh, that's absolutely disgusting," Peter said as a slight shiver shook his body.

"What did you put in here? Frog liver and quid nails mixed with dragon urine?" Sirius croaked.

"Don't make me gag, Siri, I'm feeling bad enough even without your imaginative descriptions," James groaned, shivering violently.

"Have you been in Hogsmeade today?" the Mediwitch asked, causing the four boys to nod.

"Yes, Madam," Sirius lied easily, not wanting anyone to know that except for James they had been huddled under James' Invisibility Cloak the whole day, exploring the castle to complete the Marauders' Map.

"Very well," Pomfrey replied thoughtfully. "I will be away tonight, since I have to do a night shift at St. Mungo's. They have problems because so many of their Mediwitches are ill with the wizard's flu. I trust that you won't experience any problems. In case any of you needs me, I'd like one of you, who feels a bit better, to go to the fireplace in my office and call me at the hospital. Just shout, 'Madam Pomfrey, St. Mungo's,' and I'll come back immediately."

"Don't worry, Madam Pomfrey, we'll be all right," Sirius replied, trying hard to hide a smirk.

"Thank you," the Mediwitch replied. "I'll be back at seven o'clock tomorrow morning, and I won't accept any other night shifts for the next week." With that, Madam Pomfrey bustled out of the room, muttering something like 'have to bring back a potion to put in everyone's breakfast tomorrow morning just in case.'

"What evil thought crossed your mind when you were talking with Pomfrey?" Remus queried, throwing Sirius an expectant look.

"All right, here's my idea. I need your help, lads. Remus, you have to cast a Silencing spell on James and me. James, let's take your Invisibility Cloak and head to the dungeons. We'll follow some of the Slytherins into their common room and spend the evening and the night there. Perhaps we can sleep in Snape's dormitory, so we get all of the Slytherins sick with the wizard's measles."

"That's an absolutely brilliant idea!" James shouted, ending up in a coughing fit. '_Except for the fact that I feel absolutely horrible_,' he mused as he slowly dragged himself out of his bed and took the Invisibility Cloak back from Remus, who still had the cloak in his robe pocket. "Very well then, let's go, Siri."

Throwing the Invisibility Cloak over them, the two boys slowly left the quarantine room through the open hospital wing and headed down to the dungeons.

"It's nearly curfew," James whispered as they arrived in front of the Slytherin common room. '_Thank God we did so much research for the map; otherwise we wouldn't even know where the common room was_,' he mused as they waited for a Slytherin student to come and enter the common room, so they could overhear the password or even follow the student.

Fortunately, after a few minutes, they heard footsteps and saw their classmate Severus Snape head towards the common room together with Lucius Malfoy, a pureblood seventh year boy.

"I expect you to be at Malfoy Manor exactly at noon on Christmas Day," Lucius told Severus. "The Dark Lord will make his appearance a short while later, and he'll give his mark to you and two other Hogwarts students."

"Very well," Severus replied, before he turned to the portrait guarding the entrance to the common room. "Pureblood rules," he gave the password, and the portrait opened long enough for James and Sirius to slip through after Severus and Lucius.

The two Marauders followed Severus, who didn't linger in the common room but went straight to his dormitory. They watched as the boy put his school bag away and changed into his pyjamas, before he left the dormitory in the direction of the bathroom.

"Sirius, let's lie down under his bed quickly. Everywhere else it's too dangerous, because people could step on us," James whispered urgently, causing Sirius, who seemed to feel as terrible as his friend, to quickly slide under Severus' bed. James hurriedly followed him, before he arranged the cloak in front of himself so they wouldn't be seen.

By the time the Slytherin returned from the bathroom, Sirius was already fast asleep, snoring loudly. James however couldn't sleep. '_Thank God Remus put a Silencing charm around us. How stupid I was to agree to come here_,' he mused, feeling extremely cold on the icy dungeon floor. He cast a warming charm at his friend and himself, only to notice a few minutes later that he felt much too hot and had to cast a cooling charm, causing him to feel better for a few minutes, before he had to apply another warming charm. '_Well, this is a night consuming program_,' he thought, inefficiently trying a cushioning charm on the hard floor.

By five o'clock in the morning, he felt so unwell that he roused Sirius. "Siri, I'm sorry," he said with chattering teeth, "but I'd like to return to my bed. I don't feel well."

"Of course," Sirius whispered back. "I think we spent enough time here to get at least Snape sick. Pomfrey said the wizard's measles were very contagious."

An hour later, the two boys collapsed on their beds in the quarantine ward, right in time, because Professor McGonagall decided to pay her four students a visit, knowing that she was immunized against the wizard's measles and that Poppy was absent during the night.

Seeing that James was awake, she sat on the edge of his bed, taking in his sickly appearance in concern. His face was dry and hot as she confirmed with a gentle touch, but he was shivering violently. Worriedly, she conjured a thermometer, sliding it into the boy's mouth before he even knew what happened.

"Mr. Potter, I'm going to call Madam Pomfrey," McGonagall said firmly, seeing that the boy was spiking an extremely high fever. She hurried to the fireplace in Poppy's office and called the Mediwitch, who was at James' side within minutes.

"What have you been doing the night?" she queried, throwing James a stern look.

"Nothing; I just couldn't sleep. Madam Pomfrey, Professor, can my friends and I go home over the holidays? Even if we're ill, we'd like to spend Christmas at home."

The two adults exchanged a thoughtful look. "If Mrs. Potter was willing to take the immunization potion, it wouldn't be a problem," Poppy said slowly.

"Very well, I'll contact her," McGonagall promised, gently patting James' head.

"Please, Professor, can you ask if Remus can come as well? He won't be able to go home, because the wizard's measles would be dangerous for his Muggle father, and Sirius is coming with me anyway. Peter should be able to return to his parents."

Mrs. Potter agreed to look after the three boys during the holidays, and on the following day, the four Marauders took the Floo home.

_

* * *

_

_tbc..._

_This was intended as a oneshot, but since I don't know when I'll be able to finish it, you'll get the first part now. For Kangaroo - I hope you enjoyed the first part!  
_

_I'm not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes or help me to correct them._

_All recognizable characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story._


	2. Chapter 2

**The One Who Laughs Last Laughs the Loudest - Chapter 2  
**

It was three days later that Severus dragged himself through his morning classes, feeling as if he had caught a bad cold. '_Thank God only two more days of classes left_,' he mused as he left the Potions classroom and considered skipping lunch in favour of a short nap in his dormitory. However, just a few steps into the corridor he saw Lily Evans, crouched on the floor, leaning against the stone wall.

Severus felt his heart beat louder as he eyed the girl. His former best friend hadn't spoken with him since he'd called her the unforgivable M-word a few months ago. Sometimes, he observed from the corners of his eyes how she threw him a sad look from the most beautiful eyes he had ever seen. He had intended to apologize several times, but she was hardly ever alone. Always, at least one of these horrible Marauders were with her, and the whole student body had witnessed how she had agreed to accompany James Potter to Hogsmeade on Sunday.

Now however, Lily was alone, and obviously miserable. '_She looks like I feel_,' Severus thought as he slowly approached the girl and crouched on the floor in front of her, taking in her flushed cheeks and the beads of sweat covering her forehead in spite of being in the cold dungeons.

"Lily, what's wrong?" he asked softly, causing the girl to throw him a confused look from glassy green eyes.

"Nothing. I'm fine," she replied, sounding very hoarse and still a little angry.

'_It's now or never_,' Severus mused, swallowing painfully. "Lily, I know this is not the right timing, but I'm sorrier for what I called you that time than you can imagine. I don't know if you'll ever be able to forgive me, but please let me at least help you. You're ill and need to leave this cold hall, so as not to become much worse."

Lily threw him a weary look, before she whispered, "I'm sorry, Severus, but I have too much a headache to deal with such things right now."

"I understand completely," Severus replied in a soothing voice. "Lily, please let me help you and take you to Madam Pomfrey." He gently extended a hand and sighed in relief as Lily hesitantly gripped it, so he could pull her up from the cold stone floor. He gently steadied her on the way to the hospital wing, glad that Madam Pomfrey took over as soon as they entered the room.

"Thank you, Madam Pomfrey. Get well soon, Lily," Severus said, shocked at how hoarse his voice sounded, and hesitantly turned around to leave. '_I'd love to stay with Lily and try to comfort her, but she still seems to be angry_,' he mused, when the Mediwitch's voice pulled him out of his thoughts.

"Mr. Snape, please take a seat here on the next bed and let me run a quick check on you. You don't look well either."

"I'm fine," Severus replied, feeling completely annoyed with the unnecessary fussing, but a glare from Madam Pomfrey made him obey automatically.

"Ms. Evans, you have the wizard's measles," Madam Pomfrey said in exasperation. "Did you attend breakfast on Sunday morning?"

"Yes, of course," Lily whispered surprised.

"Then you must have caught it before. Did you spend a longer time with Mr. Potter or his friends on Saturday?"

"I went to Hogsmeade together with James," Lily croaked, causing the Mediwitch to sigh.

"Well, that's where you caught it. I'm sorry, dear, but I have to isolate you in our quarantine room. Let me just do a quick check on Mr. Snape." She waved her wand at Severus, sighing. "You have the wizard's measles as well. Any idea how you managed to catch it? Did you attend breakfast on Sunday?"

"Yes, I did, and no, I have no idea," Severus mumbled, terrified.

"Did you go to Hogsmeade on Saturday?"

"No, I spent the whole day in the Potions classroom brewing potions for the hospital wing for Professor Slughorn."

"You brewed the potions he brought me on Sunday?" Poppy asked in surprise. "Well, if that's so, I could ask you in the beginning, couldn't I?"

"No problem," Severus replied tonelessly. "You already know I love to brew."

"I'll speak with the Headmaster about the matter. Maybe he could make you my assistant, so I could ask you right away. It would make everything so much easier for me," the Mediwitch said more to herself than to the boy, but Severus nodded his agreement, knowing that Pomfrey didn't get along well with his Head of House.

'_How could I catch that? No one else in Slytherin was sick recently_,' he thought, terrified, while he wearily followed Lily and the Mediwitch into the quarantine room. Suddenly, another thought shot through his mind. '_I won't be able to go home for Christmas, and I can't go to Malfoy Manor to get the Dark Mark_.'

When Madam Pomfrey ushered him to the bed next to Lily's, he made a decision. "No, Madam Pomfrey, please let me go. I'm fine. I can't have caught the measles. I haven't been together with anyone who was sick, and I feel fine."

The Mediwitch shot him a glare that caused him to cringe as she wordlessly pointed to the bed.

Not having the energy to protest any more, Severus complied, sighing in relief as he felt the soft bed support his tired body. He hardly noticed that Madam Pomfrey waved her wand at him to spell a potion into his system, causing him to drift off to sleep within seconds.

When he woke up, it was already getting dark outside, he felt much worse than before, and a privacy screen was put up between his bed and Lily's. From the muffled sounds coming from the other side of the white screen it sounded as if Madam Pomfrey was just applying an ointment onto the rash Lily seemed to have developed. '_I wonder if I have a rash too_,' Severus mused, wondering when the Mediwitch had exchanged his clothes with the stripy hospital pyjamas. '_Well, as long as everyone leaves me in peace, I don't care_,' he thought, feeling too bad to even think about anything. He closed his achy eyes and was just about to go back to sleep when Madam Pomfrey came to his side of the screen to apply the ointment to his skin.

"How are you feeling, sweetie?" the Mediwitch queried softly as she began to rub the Healing salve onto his arms.

"Fine," Severus mumbled sleepily, causing Pomfrey to let out a snort.

"I believe that immediately, but let me promise you that it won't get much worse. Your fever might go up another degree and you might become delirious with fever induced nightmares during the next few days, but then you'll become better soon. Do you want me to leave the privacy screen, or shall I take it away?" she queried as she finished with the salve.

Severus threw the Healer a bleary look. "What did Lily say?" he whispered, feeling too sore to speak aloud.

"She said, 'take it away,' but I wanted to ask you as well."

A small smile played on Severus' lips as he whispered, "Take it away then, please."

With a flick of her wand, Madam Pomfrey banished the screen, before she slid a wrist band on his left arm, tapping it twice with her wand to set her alarms. "This will alert me if your fever spikes too much or your condition worsens. If you or Ms. Evans need me, just tap it once with your wand. I have told her the same."

"Thank you, Madam Pomfrey," Severus replied, suddenly feeling very drowsy.

"Sleep well," was the last thing he heard as he drifted off to sleep.

After a few hours of peaceful sleep, he began to have fever induced nightmares.

"_I thought you spoke of three Hogwarts students__, who would come to attend my initialization, Malfoy Junior?" the Dark Lord queried, turning his red eyes to Lucius._

"_I'm sorry, Master, but Severus Snape __didn't show up yet," Lucius replied, bowing deeply._

"_Then it's his own fault if he won't receive my help and mercy and has to stay with his abusive Muggle father. He's not worth serving me, and he won't get another chance," the red eyed man hissed angrily.__  
_

Severus jerked awake, terrified. '_I have to inform Lucius in advance_,' he thought as he scrambled out of bed and hesitantly left through Madam Pomfrey's office, having the impression as if Helga Hufflepuff from her portrait that was constantly surveying the hospital wing followed him with her eyes.

'_She seems so real, but that has to be my imagination. Where is the exit? The door won't open! I need to find the exit_,' he thought, frantically trying to open the door.

_

* * *

tbc..._

_I'm not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes or help me to correct them._

_All recognizable characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story._


	3. Chapter 3

**The One Who Laughs Last Laughs the Loudest - Chapter 3  
**

"Poppy, wake up," Helga Hufflepuff's voice pulled the Mediwitch out of her sleep. It came from the portrait hanging over her bed that was an exact duplicate of the one in the hospital wing. "It already happened a few nights ago, and now it's the second time someone from the quarantine room leaves during the night. The last time, you were at St. Mungo's, so I couldn't inform you."

Madam Pomfrey quickly threw her bath robe over her night gown and hurried out into the hospital wing, where Severus Snape was frantically trying to open the door of a cupboard, which she always kept locked due to safety reasons. "Must find the way out," he mumbled, apparently frantically searching for the exit.

"Mr. Snape, what do you think you're doing?" the Mediwitch queried, worriedly checking his wrist band.

"Must go and find Lucius, can't come on Christmas day," Severus croaked but gratefully leaned onto the Healer's arm as she gently steadied him and put him back to bed.

"Severus, you're delirious with a very high fever. You must stay in bed until I tell you otherwise. Professor Dumbledore has already contacted your parents as well as the Evans and informed them that you can't go home the day after tomorrow. I'm sorry, but you can at least be glad to have your friend with you," Madam Pomfrey said gently, causing tears to well in Severus' eyes.

"She is not my friend anymore," he whispered sadly. "I did something really bad to her..."

"Wait a moment, sweetie. I'll get you a fever reducer first, and then you'll tell me everything," Madam Pomfrey interrupted him in a soft voice. Receiving a grateful nod in return, she stepped into her office and filled a dose of fever reducer, laced with a small sip of calming draught, in a small goblet.

Severus thankfully downed the potion, sighing in relief as he felt the immediate effects.

"It was an extreme situation, but I called her 'Mudblood,' which I know is unforgivable in any situation," Severus whispered to the Mediwitch, who sat on the edge of his bed, gently bathing his hot face.

"Did you apologize?"

"This morning before I brought her here. It was the first time I met her alone."

"Well, you'll spend the next three weeks together in this room. I hope no one else comes down with the measles, which I can't promise since I don't know how you caught it, but you'll have enough time to show her that you regret what you said."

"Yes," Severus replied, feeling much consoled by the Mediwitch's kind words. Noticing that he could hardly keep his eyes open anymore, he whispered, "Thank you, Madam Pomfrey. Sorry, but I'm tired."

"That's all right, Severus. You need much sleep right now. Good night."

Within seconds, his breathing evened out, and Madam Pomfrey returned to her office, alarmed by the information Helga Hufflepuff had provided earlier.

"Helga, could you please tell me again what happened the other night? Did I understand you correctly that one of the four patients I had in the quarantine room left the hospital wing?" she queried as she stood in front of the Founder's picture in her office.

"Two boys left the hospital wing, but they were hidden under an Invisibility Cloak."

"Do you know where they went? Did they say anything?"

"No, I couldn't hear a sound," Helga replied thoughtfully. "Unfortunately, I don't know who else in the portraits is able to look through Invisibility Cloaks. The only one I'm sure about is Salazar, but of course he only knows what happens in Slytherin."

'_Slytherin?_' Poppy mused. '_Could it be...? But... No, why would the Gryffindors steal themselves away from the hospital wing to head to Slytherin?_' "Helga, I'm sorry, but could you perhaps ask Salazar if he saw anything the other night? I'll be here and watch over the wing."

"All right, Poppy; it won't take long," Helga promised and vanished from her picture, only to return a few minutes later. "Salazar watched the two boys enter the Slytherin common room and follow Severus Snape into his dormitory, where they remained overnight," the Founder informed Poppy, causing the Mediwitch to become very angry.

"Minerva!" Poppy shouted into the fireplace.

"Yes?" came the sleepy reply a few minutes later.

"Come here, please!"

"What's wrong, Poppy?" McGonagall queried as she lazily stepped out of the fireplace with her bath robes quickly thrown over her night gown and her hair open. However, the Scottish lioness was soon wide awake after her colleague had informed her about the actions of two of her little lions.

"This is... incredible, Poppy," she breathed, completely bewildered. "I will go and ask Mr. Potter about the matter."

"Minerva, easy," Pomfrey said soothingly. "It's four o'clock in the morning. You have to wait for a few hours. I suggest you either go back to bed or join me for breakfast."

"I'll join you," McGonagall replied grumpily, "and then I'm going to check on Ms. Evans and Mr. Snape. I feel so sorry for the poor boy."

The two witches spent two hours having breakfast and speaking about the actions of the two lions towards Severus.

"I know I have been too lenient in the past," McGonagall admitted, "but this time, I'm going to punish them.

"Frankly speaking, I think they should be expelled," Poppy replied angrily. "I know Albus won't allow you to do that, but they really need to get a shock. Otherwise, they won't ever learn to behave better."

HP

After breakfast, Madam Pomfrey accompanied McGonagall into the quarantine room, knowing that her patients' potions were about to wear off.

Lily blinked as she felt someone sit on the edge of her bed. "Hello, Professor McGonagall," she croaked, smiling as she recognized her Head of House.

"How're you feeling, Ms. Evans?" McGonagall asked gently, carefully laying her hand on the student's forehead, causing the girl to shiver violently at the cold touch.

"I think I'm getting a rash," Lily said hoarsely, pointing to her arm, "and it feels a little itchy."

"I believe that immediately," McGonagall replied softly, throwing Poppy a questioning look, seeing that the Mediwitch pointed her wand at Lily's head.

"Thirty-eight point five, but I'm sure it'll go up a degree later on. I'm afraid this isn't the worst yet," Madam Pomfrey explained softly.

"At least you're not alone but together with Mr. Snape," Minerva said soothingly, carefully adjusting a cloth that was charmed to remain cool to the girl's forehead.

"Yes. I'm very sorry for him, but I'm glad he's here with me," Lily replied hoarsely, smiling at the professor.

"Minerva, you better not wake Mr. Snape. He suffered from fever induced nightmares. His fever has been spiking during the night and is not lower at all yet. I suggest we let him sleep. You can speak with him later on," Madam Pomfrey told the professor with a concerned expression on her face.

"Very well, I'll do that. Try to sleep too, Ms. Evans. I'll come and check on both of you later on," McGonagall promised and quietly left the room, heading to the fireplace in the Mediwitch's office.

_

* * *

tbc..._

_I'm not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes or help me to correct them._

_All recognizable characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story._


	4. Chapter 4

**The One Who Laughs Last Laughs the Loudest - Chapter 4  
**

The Gryffindor Head of House took the Floo to Potter Manor, where she was greeted by James' father.

"This is a surprise, Minerva. How are you?" Mr. Potter queried gently.

The professor sighed. "Hello Harold. Unfortunately, this is not just a social visit. At the moment, I'm a bit angry as it seems your son and one of his friends played a prank on a Slytherin student AGAIN. May I speak to James for a moment?"

"Of course," Mr. Potter replied as he rolled his eyes at his son's behaviour, leading the professor to the room, where the three children were staying over the holidays. "My wife is just checking on them. They are still sick."

"Thank you, Harold," McGonagall replied and, not wanting to disturb Mrs. Potter, transformed into her cat form, unobtrusively watching the scene from the open doorframe.

"I'm sorry, James, but you can't get out of bed yet," Mrs. Potter said softly, pushing her obviously upset son back towards his pillow and stuck a thermometer under his tongue, gently smothering the hair back from his forehead, before she filled half a phial of a potion into a small goblet.

"But we wanted to build a snow man," Sirius protested hoarsely, absentmindedly scratching his leg. "These measles are so icky, and I'm fed up of staying in bed all the time."

"Still over thirty-nine degrees, James, I'm sorry, son," Mr. Potter told the boy and approached Sirius, who let out a groan.

"Please, Mrs. Potter, I'm fine. I don't need my temperature taken, and I want to go play in the snow. It's so hot in here," he protested in a very whiny and hoarse voice.

"It's only hot because you're feverish, Sirius," Remus threw in reasonably. "Mrs. Potter has other things to do than to check on us, so get over with it."

Mrs. Potter threw Remus an appreciative glance and stuck the thermometer into Sirius mouth as soon as he opened his mouth to protest.

"You're ve right to talk. You did't get it as vad as Javes a' I," Sirius mumbled around the annoying stick in his mouth, causing Mrs. Potter to sit on the edge of his bed and calmingly take his hot hand in her own.

"Now be quiet for a moment. Otherwise I can't very well take your temperature and we'll have to start over again," she admonished him lightly and proceeded to bathe his flushed face with a cool cloth until the reading was finished. "Thirty-nine point three; you're as bad as James," she said, sighing, causing Sirius to throw her an angry glare.

"Do you really want to tell me you feel well enough to get up and play in the snow?" Mrs. Potter queried, chuckling at his antics as she cleaned the thermometer.

"I feel hot and cold and icky and bored... horrible," Sirius whined, moaning.

"I'm sorry, my dear," Mrs. Potter said softly, adjusting the cool cloth to his forehead. "How are you feeling, Remus?" she queried as she stepped over to him.

"A bit itchy but all right," Remus replied hoarsely, causing Mrs. Potter to smile and pop the thermometer under his tongue.

"I vonder ho' Peter..." Remus began but quieted as Mrs. Potter glared at him and made sure the thermometer was still in its right position.

"I wonder how Snape is, and if any other Slytherins got it," James croaked, causing his mother to throw him a surprised look, before her attention turned back to Remus as the thermometer beeped.

Mrs. Potter gently took the thermometer from his lips, frowning. "Well, none of you is any better yet. Stay put and rest. Like Madam Pomfrey said, it'll take its time. And if I see any of you out of his bed except for when you have to use the bathroom, I'm going to apply a sticking charm." So threatening, she stood up and crossed the room towards the door, stopping dead in her tracks as she noticed her son's Head of House standing there.

"Oh, Minerva," she greeted the woman in surprise.

"I'm sorry to intrude. However, I need to exchange a few words with your son and his friends," McGonagall said politely, following the boy's mother into the room.

"Mr. Potter, I'm sorry to disturb you when you're obviously feeling unwell. However, someone watched you and one of your friends follow Mr. Snape into his dormitory, while you were supposed to be in quarantine with the wizard's measles," she said sternly, causing James to groan.

"Yes, we wanted to share the measles with dear Snivellus instead of keeping them just for ourselves," Sirius replied, chuckling, causing Mrs. Potter to gasp and McGonagall to throw him an angry glare.

"So this means, you willingly tried to make someone else sick?" Mrs. Potter asked in disbelief, looking questioningly at Remus, knowing only too well that he was the most reasonable of the three boys.

"Yes," James said, knowing he couldn't deny anything, if someone had seen them anyway. "At that time, we thought it was funny. It wasn't my idea though."

"Oh, I don't think I have to ask whose idea it was," McGonagall said angrily, throwing Sirius a glare, which she normally solely used for students in detention.

"Oh, my God. Did Mr. Snape get the measles?" his mother asked, looking at the professor in concern.

"Yes, he has caught the wizard's measles, and Madam Pomfrey informed me that he has got it really bad. He is very ill," McGonagall confirmed. "I'm very ashamed of you, Mr. Potter and Mr. Black. I can't believe students of my own House are mean enough to do such a stunt to harm a fellow student."

"Minerva, please see fit to punish these two as you think. I'm very disappointed too," Mrs. Potter said firmly, before she turned to Remus and gently patted his back to help him overcome a coughing fit.

"Mr. Potter and Mr. Black, you will have detention either in the Potions classroom or with Mr. Filch every evening for the rest of the school year. I'll inform you upon your return to Hogwarts. Furthermore, you're banned from all Hogsmeade visits for the rest of the school year..."

"Ah, but, Professor, you can't do that, now that Lily has finally agreed to go on dates with me," James whined, interrupting the teacher with a puppy dog look on his flushed face.

"I can and I will, Mr. Potter. I'm sure Ms. Evans will understand my reasons, especially as she is sick with the measles herself and is quarantined together with Mr. Snape."

"Lily is quarantined together with Snape? In one room? But Professor, that's not adequate," Sirius croaked, and McGonagall watched from the corner of her eyes how the colour drained completely off James' face.

"Of course they're together in the quarantine room, and I'm glad they're having each other for company," McGonagall replied firmly.

"Professor, could you please not tell Lily that it's our fault Snape is sick?" James asked pleadingly, causing Minerva to roll her eyes.

"Since she'll be together with Mr. Snape for the next three weeks, she'll eventually know, even if I don't tell her. Apart from that, the whole school will know, because both of you, and that's my last point of your punishment, will apologize to Mr. Snape in front of the whole school as soon as you're back to Hogwarts. Stop scratching, Mr. Black; you'll only make yourself worse," she added, turning to Sirius, who was absently rubbing his arms.

"It's so icky," he complained miserably.

"At least you know it's not anyone else's fault that you're sick. Both of you better use the time you're stuck in bed to reflect about your behaviour," Mrs. Potter replied angrily and turned to Remus. "Please call me, if these two don't behave themselves. I'll leave the doors open, so I'll hear you."

"All right, Mrs. Potter," Remus replied obediently.

With that, Mrs. Potter led the professor out of the room, quietly apologizing to the teacher for her son's behaviour. A few steps away from the door, they heard Sirius complain hoarsely.

"Detention for months, no Hogsmeade visits, and apologize to Snape? I think McGonagall has gone nuts."

Before James could even think of a reply, McGonagall returned to the doorframe and threw Sirius a murderous glare. "Twenty points from Gryffindor for your insolence, Mr. Black. Be glad you're not at Hogwarts; otherwise, I'd ask Madam Pomfrey to put you into a single room, so you'd have a lot of undisturbed time to reflect your behaviour."

After a cup of tea with Mrs. Potter, McGonagall returned to Hogwarts to inform the Headmaster of her lions' latest prank and the assigned punishment. However, back in her office, she decided to look after the sick students first, suddenly feeling very sorry for Severus.

When she arrived at the quarantine room, she stopped dead in her tracks and quickly transformed into her feline form to unobtrusively watch from a doorframe for the second time this morning.

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tbc... _

_Thank you so much for your kind reviews!! Thanks to Kangaroo for your kind help :-)  
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_I'm not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes or help me to correct them._

_All recognizable characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story._


	5. Chapter 5

**The One Who Laughs Last Laughs the Loudest - Chapter 5  
**

Lily was sitting on the edge of Severus' bed, comforting a sobbing Severus.

"Shhh, Sev, stop crying. You'll only aggravate you condition further. Instead, tell me what's wrong, hmm?" Lily asked softly, gently wiping his flushed face with a cool cloth.

"I can't tell you. It's... it's too horrible," Severus sobbed, ending up in a coughing fit.

Lily gently helped him sit up and rubbed his back. "Here, drink some water," she instructed him, pressing a glass against his lips. "Now lie down and please tell me. I promise I won't speak to anyone about it." She carefully helped him lie down, brushing an errand strand of hair from his forehead.

Severus sighed, letting out a few more sobs. "After you know what, I mean, after calling you that, you turned away from me, and I didn't know what to do," he confessed. "You've always been my only real friend. Anyway, Malfoy invited me into his group of friends and I joined them, but I'm supposed to go to Malfoy Manor on Christmas day to meet the Dark Lord, and now I can't because I'm sick. So they won't be friends with me anymore either." With that, he turned away in a fit of sobbing.

Lily remained quiet on the edge of his bed, shocked at what she had heard, before she gently laid her hand on his shoulder and said softly, "Sev, please stop crying. Let's talk some more. I'm still your friend, and I'll always be as long as you're mine."

HP

McGonagall was shaken out of her reverie as Madam Pomfrey bustled out of her office, apparently alerted by the alarm on Severus' wrist band that she had to look after her patient. '_No, this is not the right timing_,' she mused and jumped against the Mediwitch's leg to gain her attention.

"Minnie, what are you doing here?" Poppy queried in surprise.

McGonagall made a shooing movement with her front paw, causing the Healer to understand.

"You want me to wait a moment?" she asked, glancing through the window in the door like her friend had been doing for a while. "Oh, I see." She nodded her understanding. "I don't appreciate Ms. Evans being out of bed though. All right though, call me if you think they're ready."

Minerva let out a meow of agreement, glad the door was charmed so noises could get out but not in, and turned her attention back to the students in the quarantine room.

HP

In the meantime, Lily had been able to coax Severus into turning back to her. She resumed bathing his flushed face with the cold cloth and said in a hoarse but soft voice, "Sev, I admit I was very angry when you called me that, but I'm still your friend and I will always be. I'm glad you won't be able to take the Dark Mark. They are bad people, and you don't belong to them. You're a very good person."

Severus frantically shook his head. "No, I'm not. Remember what I called you."

Lily sighed, shivering lightly. "You were very upset at that time, which I can understand. It was horrible. I don't know why Potter and Black always have to behave as if the school belonged to them."

"But you're going out with Potter, aren't you?" Severus croaked with a hint of hurt in his voice.

"Because I went to Hogsmeade with him you mean?" Lily asked, letting out a mock laugh. "No, Sev. I merely accompanied him to finally get some peace. He has been after me, begging me to go to Hogsmeade with him since the beginning of our third year. That's all. I'm not his girlfriend. I don't even like him."

"No, Lily, don't scratch your arm. You'll only make it worse," Severus suddenly admonished her, seeing she was absently scratching the rash on her arm.

"I know. It's so icky though. Oh look, it's starting on your arm too." Lily pointed to his arm, suddenly noticing that the figures on his wrist band were blinking in an angry red colour. "Oh Sev, your fever is very high right now. I'm going to call Madam Pomfrey."

"Lily!" Severus replied, panicking. "Stay with me. Don't go anywhere again. I need you. Don't leave me alone."

"Sev, I'm right here," Lily said softly, soothingly placing a rushed kiss on his cheek, before she, shocked at herself as she realised what she had just done, returned to her own bed, just when Professor McGonagall and Madam Pomfrey entered the room.

Madam Pomfrey quickly checked on Severus and spelled his potions straight into his stomach, before she allowed McGonagall to sit on the edge of his bed, handing her a small glass with cream. "Here, you can apply the ointment to his rash please," she said softly, before she stepped over to Lily.

"Hello Mr. Snape, how are you feeling?" McGonagall queried, gently taking his left pyjama sleeve off to apply the cream.

"All right," Severus replied hoarsely, causing the teacher to throw him a surprised glance.

"It's all right to complain, Mr. Snape," she said softly. Seeing that his face remained blank, she explained, "This morning, I visited Potter, Black and Lupin, and they were moaning about how much their skin itches, and looking at your rash, I can imagine you're feeling very unwell too."

"The cream feels good though; thank you, Professor," Severus replied in a small voice.

"You're welcome," McGonagall said as she turned to his right arm, sighing. "The reason why I went to see Mr. Potter and his friends is that Madam Pomfrey found out how you caught the wizard's measles."

An expression of surprise spread over Severus face, and the Gryffindor Head told him what had happened a few nights ago. "I'm very sorry, Mr. Snape, and I have punished Potter and Black accordingly. In fact, I'd love to expel them, but the Headmaster has certain reasons to not allow me to do so. I'm just glad to see you in good company during your stay here." She finished applying the ointment and helped Severus sit up to make him drink a few sips of water, before she gently tucked him in, knowing that his fever was very high and he had to rest. "Try to sleep for a while," she said softly, "I'll come to see you again later on. If there is anything I can do for you, ask Madam Pomfrey to call me."

"Thank you, Professor," Severus mumbled gratefully and unconsciously reached for the teacher's cold hand as he drifted off to sleep.

HP

During the following week, both children remained very ill. Whenever Severus was captured in fevered dreams, Lily scrambled out of bed and sat with him to comfort him, and Severus did the same for her in return. By the time they were feeling a bit better, their relationship was back to what it had been before the beginning of their fifth year, and a few days before they were finally released from the quarantine room, Severus summoned all his courage and asked her to become his girlfriend.

"I'd love to be your girlfriend, Sev," Lily replied softly and let herself be pulled into a long kiss.

The two students spent the remaining time until they were finally allowed back to classes cuddling and kissing, whenever they thought no one could see them, not aware of the grey cat spending much time observing them through a hidden window in their door.

"I know how I'm going to make Albus pay for always saving Potter and Black from punishment," McGonagall said as she entered Poppy's office, before the Mediwitch was going to release the students. "I know for a fact that Albus has already made plans to make Potter Head boy next year, together with Lily, but since I'm his Head of House, he can't do that against my veto, and I'm going to plead for Lily and Severus."

"That's a very good idea, Minnie," Pomfrey replied warmly, "and I'm sure Albus will agree. Today, I had a very stern conversation with him about Severus and his Gryffindor classmates, and I think he already has a bad consciousness concerning Severus. He agreed immediately when I asked him to officially make Severus my assistant, so he can openly brew potions for me. I still have to inform him, but I'm sure he'll be very happy."

Later the same day, Lily and Severus were released right in time for dinner in the Great Hall. Like McGonagall had promised, she made James and Sirius stand up, declare what they had done and apologize to Severus in front of the whole student body.

When they were finished, Severus stood up. "I spent the whole holidays together with Lily, and we still enjoyed ourselves. Due to your interfering, I didn't receive the Dark Mark but instead gained a wonderful girlfriend," he replied, smiling at Lily. "Thank you, Potter, Black."

**The End**

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_Thank you to those, who have supported me throughout this story by their kind reviews!_

_I'm not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes or help me to correct them._

_All recognizable characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story._


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